Childhood executive control and adolescent substance use: Mediation via parent–child relationship quality

Objective

The goal of the current study was to test prospective direct and indirect associations between preschool executive control (EC), parental affective quality and harsh discipline, and adolescent substance use (e-cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol) while accounting for participants' age, sex, family history of substance use, and family socioeconomic status.

Method

Participants were 313 youth (49% boys; 70.9% European American) and their parents who participated in a longitudinal cohort-sequential study on the development of EC in preschool and its associations with subsequent health outcomes. Substance use initiation and frequency (e-cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol) were obtained via phone surveys from youth who participated in adolescent assessments. Parental affective quality and harsh discipline were obtained from parental questionnaires in adolescence.

Results

The direct effects from preschool EC on adolescent substance use were statistically nonsignificant for e-cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol. Mediation analyses revealed a statistically significant indirect effect from preschool EC to adolescent use of e-cigarettes through harsh discipline (b = −0.07 [95% CI = −0.18; −0.01]; β = −0.04). The associations between preschool EC and any of the substance use outcomes in adolescence through parental affective quality were nonsignificant.

Conclusions

This study fills significant gaps in the emerging literature on longitudinal contributions of child characteristics to parenting behaviors, suggesting that early EC deficiencies may elicit more harsh discipline during adolescence, ultimately leading to higher adolescent engagement in e-cigarette use.